 What is the difference between an articulation disorder and a delay?
What is oral-motor therapy, and why would a child need it?
Why would a child need Feeding therapy?
What is Developmental Apraxia of Speech?
What is PROMPT therapy?
Should I be concerned with my child's speech & language development?
What educational background does/should a speech therapist have?
What is your area of Specialty?
How long will my child need therapy?
How long are therapy sessions?
How many times a week are recommended for therapy?
What should I be doing at home to help progress?
Do you provide home based services?
Do you take health insurance?
Answers by Isa Marrs, MA CCC-SLP
"After visiting with numerous speech therapists in effort to find the right fit for our son, we feel extremely fortunate to have been able to select Isa.
She is professional, highly knowledgeable, and more essentially-child centered. We think she is wonderful!"
James Martinez
Ardsley, NY
What is the difference between an articulation disorder and a delay?
The words "disorder" and "delay" are often used interchangeably however I prefer to differentiate between the two. A "disorder" is most often more severe and will require therapeutic intervention to correct or improve while it is possible yet not definite that a child will grow out of an articulation "delay". When I think of a "disorder" the word "different" comes to mind. Children with speech "disorders" have different types of speech errors that would not be heard in a younger child as in a "delay". The reason I prefer to make a clear distinction between the two is to avoid the mistake of waiting and waiting for a child to "grow out" of something as often as recommended by someone who is not an expert in speech development.
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What is oral-motor therapy, and why would a child need it?
Oral-motor therapy uses a variety of exercises to develop awareness, strength, coordination and mobility of the oral muscles. It is often used as a component of feeding therapy. In this case an experienced therapist will be able to determine why a child is having difficulty in a particular area and will create an oral-motor-feeding plan individualized for the child.
There is no current research to support the use of oral-motor therapy to treat speech disorders.
The only case in which I would use oral-motor therapy to "help" speech clarity is when saliva is collecting in the mouth and causing slushy-speech. However the root cause of this is a "swallowing" disorder leading to problems with speech clarity. It is not a speech disorder.
If a speech language pathologist is recommending oral-motor therapy for your child it is important to understand why and to be involved as much as possible.
Learn more about oral-motor therapy here.[ Top of Page ]
Why would a child need Feeding therapy?
To name a few of the more common reasons, feeding therapy is used to address issues such as food refusals, problem and picky eaters, choking, gagging, difficulty transitioning to new and challenging textures, food stuffing and drooling. Feeding therapy may involve direct oral-motor intervention to address weak musculature in and around a child's mouth or it may involve a behavioral feeding plan with no hands-on oral-motor therapy.
**Feeding issues can be serious. It is important that you seek guidance from a qualified professional if you are concerned about your child's feeding development.
Learn about Feeding Milestones and Developing a Healthy Feeding Relationship with Your Child.
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What is Developmental Apraxia of Speech?
Apraxia is an articulation disorder characterized by impaired ability to program the position of speech musculature and the sequencing of muscle movements for the volitional production of phonemes (sounds). Brain lesions cause this type of speech disorder. Developmental Apraxia of Speech (DAS) is a speech disorder seen in children with no specific brain lesions however the characteristics of difficulty motor planning for speech production, and sequencing of sounds in words, words in sentences and sentences in connected speech exists. In both Apraxia and DAS muscle strength is not impacted unless other conditions exist as well.
Learn more about apraxia of speech here.[ Top of Page ]
What is PROMPT therapy?
"Is a tactile based treatment method for reshaping individual and connected articulatory phonemes (sounds) and sequences. The system uses a different prompt for each English phoneme." This type of therapy approach is used with children who have motor based speech disorders such as Developmental Apraxia of Speech. Visit the PROMPT Institute for more information.
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Should I be concerned with my child's speech & language development?
All children develop speech and language at their own pace and at every age there is a wide range of "normal". The following link contains speech and language milestones which may be used as a guide: Speech & Language Milestones(Requires Adobe Reader).
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What educational background does/should a speech therapist have?
Please see the Speech Therapy Primer for the answer to this question.
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What is your area of specialty?
I am a PROMPT trained SLP who specializes in Feeding & Articulation Disorders in Children. Within those areas I have a great deal of experience and expertise in a broad range of delays and disorders ranging from mild articulation errors to severe disorders relating to apraxia, cleft lip/palate, velopharyngeal insufficiency, autism, cerebral palsy, and various genetic syndromes. Please see my about page for a more information.
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How long will my child need therapy?
Depending on your child's speech and language goals the amount of time your child may require therapy will differ greatly. A child with minor articulation errors may require therapy for 6 months to a year while a child with a more severe language disorder may require on-going speech and language therapy for many years. Even when comparing children with similar speech and language characteristics rate of progress will vary. The reason for this is differences in personality, family lifestyle/priorities as well as the duration and frequency of the sessions. All of these factors will impact progress. If a therapist reports how long therapy will take prior to working with your child you should be very wary.
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How long are therapy sessions?
A basic office therapy session is 30 minutes however length of sessions may be adjusted according to a child's specific needs. For example while a child with an articulation disorder such as apraxia requires shorter more frequent sessions, a child with a language disorder and a variety of speech and language needs may benefit from a longer session.
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How many times a week are recommended for therapy?
In general, at least two sessions per week are recommended. Depending on a family's ability and willingness to carry over therapy techniques at home this could be and is often adjusted.
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What should I be doing at home to help progress?
It is important that you carry over speech skills taught in the therapy environment into the home environment. With this said, every child is different and their willingness to practice their skills at home varies greatly. Most often I will have parents work with their children on goals that have already been achieved in therapy in order to avoid regression and to maximize the time we have in therapy appointments. If a child resists I may recommend an increase in therapy visits in order to increase progress achieved. Reinforcement systems at home are often an option that encourages children to carry over their new skills.
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Do you provide home based services?
Yes. However, home based sessions are provided on a limited basis and are subject to special terms.
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Do you take health insurance?
No. However, if your insurance company is willing to cover out of network services, I will provide you with documentation to help you with your claim.
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